Jeremy Dronfield has re-written his book The Boy Who Followed His Father Into Auschwitz for children. He has also added in further information that he found out after writing his first book, so Fritz and Kurt is an updated, simplified version. He has included explanations as footnotes of Jewish words and historical events to aid the reader.

Andrew Lownie Literary Agency :: Book :: Fritz and Kurt

Jeremy Dronfield has written a powerful tale that is horrifying and harrowing, probably more so to older readers who have knowledge of just what really happened. Jeremy Dronfield says just enough to tell the true story without giving young children nightmares with graphic details. My granddaughters are very sensitive but I am letting them read this book because they need to know what happened, as does all the next generation, in the hope that never again will the innocent be slaughtered in such a way. Unfortunately, we see that many do not learn the lessons from history. My brother ended up with communist leanings and I was an American soldier, and my father was adamant, ‘No politics in the house!’ I didn’t get to hear all of these stories until years later. A retelling of the Sunday Times bestselling The Boy Who Followed his Father into Auschwitz, a Daily Mail and Sunday Express book of the year. About This Edition ISBN: It is an incredibly moving book, with many harrowing details and scenes. Whilst not glossing over them, it doesn’t go into too much detail. It does highlight the many kindnesses that were shown to Fritz and Gustav during their time in various concentration camps, and this is a great positive to take from reading it. The author has painstakingly researched the family’s history and got to talk to Kurt about his story and life in America. Fritz and Kurt has the best interests of the reader and the subject matter at its heart. It is a new version for younger readers of Jeremy Dronfield’s internationally bestselling The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz. What is incredible is that these are narrative nonfiction texts. I found out just how incredibly true they are, how much research went into them, and how education was at the forefront of their creation. My conversation with Jeremy Dronfield was fascinating, and sharing it here is a privilege.Fritz And Kurt is a read suitable for any age, not just children. You will be full of admiration for the bravery of the brothers who lived through a time of great evil. But what information needs to be told, and what are young readers not ready to learn about? Unsurprisingly, “anything essential to the story” is the short answer. Although, how do we decide what is essential? Jeremy explained that a lot was left out, especially those things which “would be too upsetting”. For example, Jeremy did learn of the fate of the mother and eldest daughter, actually discovering this in his research. Jeremy also had to find ways to tell essential events in a way that weren’t too graphic and “age appropriate”. A process which included the “writing, rewriting and scrapping and rewriting” of one scene in particular. Other scenes were left in because they had been “imprinted” in the memories of those involved. Although when my father’s diaries were published and then translated into English, that hit me very strongly, realising the many times they both nearly died.”

Fritz and Kurt : Jeremy Dronfield (author), : 9780241565742 Fritz and Kurt : Jeremy Dronfield (author), : 9780241565742

These reservations aside, the narration is extraordinarily touching. The child’s perspective is believable and Dronfield is skilled at using small details to bring a scene home.The book is appealingly and appropriately illustrated by David Ziggy Greene. Incredible is the tale of Fritz, his Papa and what they went through, and just how they survived. It's moving and had me in tears several times. I was very relieved to see that readers will not be spared the truth, but are not subjected to more graphic scenes than I as a parent would want in their heads. It is enough. Although the subject matter is harrowing, the story has been specially adapted for young readers and is a testament to love and the strength of the human spirit, as well as a warning to future generations. In the words of Dronfield - “ it is vitally important to remember what happened in those terrible years, and to do whatever we can to make sure nothing like it never occurs again […] we have to begin with memories and knowledge of what happened in the past, with understanding, and with compassion for our fellow human beings – all of them, not just the ones who look like us to share our beliefs.” The novel is the true story of brothers Fritz and Kurt who lived in Vienna in 1938 as the story opens. They were Jewish and at the time 180,000 Jewish people lived in Vienna.I’m immensely proud of this book, and sorry that Kurt did not live to see it published. He knew it was in preparation, though, and was thrilled that his story would be read by coming generations of young readers. This book and its predecessor are my memorial to Kurt, to Fritz, and to their extraordinary family. The Kleinmann family in 1938 featuring Gustav (second left) and Fritz (fourth left). Photograph: Peter Patten

Fritz and Kurt by Jeremy Dronfield and David Ziggy Greene Fritz and Kurt by Jeremy Dronfield and David Ziggy Greene

The reader sees the close bond between Fritz and his father as they try to help each other and keep hope alive that there will be better days ahead. Classrooms have to ultimately be places of hope. So, can reading about an event like the Holocaust be a positive experience? The feeling Jeremy has is “positive in the sense that it is a story of survival, hope, love and courage.” Although, one thing that perhaps does not come across so explicitly in this version, because of the child’s viewpoint, is “their father’s determination to survive. How firmly he believed he was going to survive.” Even when the worst things are happening around him, Gustav was writing “I will not let these SS murderers grind me down.” Which Jeremy thinks “was a big part in what enabled Gustav and Fritz to survive.” Gustav never lost his faith or devotion to his son. It’s part of the positivity that comes through. Determination, courage, faith, belief, hope. Knowing these exist, Jeremy continues, through all of life’s challenges and difficulties, is inspiring. For context, the family central to this story is the Kleinmanns. As a Jewish family in Austria, the 1930s was an unsettling time. Events lead to Fritz and his father, Gustav, being taken away. However, both father and son survived the war, as did Gustav’s secret diary. Kurt, the youngest child, was sent to the USA, while sister Edith was able to go to Britain. The eldest child, Herta, and the mother were taken away against their will at a later date. They never returned.

Jeremy Dronfield Press Reviews

A story based on real-life. A narrative on harrowing events: The Holocaust. Fritz and Kurt is a story about a Jewish family, The Kleinman's, living in Austria during the 1930s; a time when their world was seemingly changed overnight and ripped apart. Hitler invaded, blaming Jewish people for the demise of Germany: they are sent to concentration camps or executed. Jewish residents are sought out, humiliated and bullied - once friends but now enemies. Dronfield does well to give his own thoughts on the family's experiences, and include a timeline of wider events. One thing I would have liked would have been teachers' notes, as I suspect this may be well read in school classrooms studying WWII, and discussion questions would have been one useful addition.